Hades/ Underworld : Greek Mythology Essay

Since the days when man lived in caves and struggled to survive, query about the world that surrounds him. What makes the sun rise and set? Why are thither sea newss? Where do things go when they run short? To the ancient Hellenics, thither were simple explanations to all these questions it was the divinity fudges Things that seemed unexplainable could suddenly make sense when there were gods and goddesses involved. And these stories of the gods that the classicals created to help make sense of the universe have survived the years to become a treasured and intrinsical part of the history of the Western world.The classical on a lower floorworld, in mythology, was a place where souls went after death and was the classical idea of hereafter. At the moment of death the soul was separated from the corpse, taking on the shape of the originator person, and was transported to the entrance of the pits. infernal region realm itself was described as being either at the outer bou nds of the ocean or beneath the depths or abates of the earth. It was considered the dark counterpart to the brightness of Mount Olympus, and was the kingdom of the departed that corresponded to the kingdom of the gods. hellhole was a realm invisible to the living and it was made solely for the dead.The inferno, better cognise as Hades after the god who ruled it, was a dark and dreary place where the tonicitys, or souls, of those who died lived. A persons whole life was planned and plotted by the Fates. The Fates were the three goddesses who controlled the destiny of everyone from the time they were natural to the time they died. They were Clotho, the spinner, who spun the thread of a persons life, Lachesis, the apporitioner, who decided how much times was to be allowed individually person, and Atropos, the inevitable, who cut the thread when you were supposed to die.When Atropos cut your thread you were dead and then you made your journey to Hades. Upon death, the shade is led by Hermes to the entrance of the Underworld and to the banks of the Ac fighter aircraftn. There were five rivers that made up the Underworld. They were the Acheron (the river of woe), Cocytus (the river of lamentation), Phlegethon (river of fire), Lethe (river of forgetfulness), and the Styx (river of hate). This poem, written by an anonymous writer, was written about the rivers in the Underworld.Abhorred Styx, the flood of deadly hate, Sad Acheron of sorrow black and involved Cocytus depictd of lamentation loud Heard on the rueful stream fierce Phlegethon Whose waves of torrent fire fire with rage. Far off from these a slow and silent stream, Lethe, the river of oblivion, rolls Her watery labyrinth, whereof who drinks Forthwith his former state and being forgets, Forgets both joy and grief, pleasure and pain. Hades (Aides, Aidoneus, or Haides), the son of Kronos and brother of Zeus and Poseidon, was the Greek god of the underworld. When the world was divided between the son s of Cronos, Zeus received the heavens, Poseidon the sea, and Hades the underworld the earth itself was divded between the three. Therefore, date Hades responsibility was in the Underworld, he was allowed to have power on earth as well. However, Hades himself is rarely seen outside his domain, and to those on earth his intentions and personality are a mystery.In art and belles-lettres Hades is depicted as stern and dignified, tho not a fierce torturer or devil-like. However, Hades was considered the enemy to all life and was hated by both the gods and men sacrifices and prayers did not appease him so mortals rarely tried. He was too not a tormenter of the dead, and sometimes considered the Zeus of the dead because he was hospitable to them. Those who received punishment in Tartarus were assigned by the other gods seeking vengeance.In Greek society, many viewed Hades as the least liked god and many gods even had an aversion towards him, and when passel would sacrifice to Hades, it would be if they wanted revenge on an enemy or something terrible to happen to them Hades was sometimes referred to as Pluto and was represented in a lighter way here, he was considered the giver of wealth, since the crops and the blessing of the harvest come from below the earth. Persephone (also known as Kore) was the daughter of Demeter, the goddess of the harvest, and Zeus. Persephone was abducted by Hades, whom desired a wife.When Persephone was gathering flowers, she was entranced by a narcissus flower planted by Gaia (to lure her to the Underworld as a favor to Hades), and when she picked it the earth suddenly opened up. Hades, appearing in a gilded chariot, seduced and carried Persephone into the underworld. When Demeter found out that Zeus had given Hades permission to abduct Persephone and guard her as a wife, Demeter became enraged at Zeus and stopped growing harvests for the earth. To soothe her, Zeus sent Hermes to the Underworld to take Persephone back to her mother.However, Hades made her eat a pomegranate seed so that she was forever fix to the underworld, since the pomegranate seed was sacred to the underworld. When one would die, the family would place one obol, or a coin, under the deceaseds tongue. This coin would pay as fare to Charon who would ferry the dead over the Acheron River. Charon is the ferryman who is often depicted as an old sulky man, or as a winged demon carrying a take over hammer. Those who cannot afford to pay Charon were doomed to wonder the banks of the Acheron River for one hundred years.The Greeks had a definite belief that there was a journey to the afterlife or some other world. They believed that death was not a complete end to life or human existence. The Greeks accepted the existence of the soul after death, but saw this afterlife as meaningless. In the underworld, the identity of a dead person good-tempered existed, but it had no efficacy or true influence. Rather, the continuation of the existence of the soul in the Underworld was considered a remembrance of the event that the dead person had existed, and while the soul sboulder clay existed, it was inactive.However, the price of death was considered a great one. homing pigeon believed that the best possible existence for humans was to never be born at all, or die soon after birth, because the greatness of life could never balance the price of death. The Greek gods only rewarded heroes who were still living heroes that died were ignored in the afterlife. However, it was considered very important to the Greeks to honor the dead and was seen as a emblem of piety. Those who did not respect the dead opened themselves to the punishment of the gods for example, Odysseus ensured Ajaxs burial, or the gods would be angered.Guarding the Underworld was the three-headed firedog Cerberus. He permitted new spirits to enter, but never one to leave. When you arrived at the Underworld, three judges determine your sentence. They were Rha damanthus, Minos the first, and Aeacus. Rhadamanthus, the son of Zeus and Europa, was rewarded to be judge because of the justice he showed on Earth. Minos the First, the son of Zeus and Europa, was another judge who, before he died, was the ruler of Crete, and most know him from the story of Theseus and the Minotaur.The third judge is Aeacus, the son of Zeus and the nymph Aegina, assisted Poseidon and Apollo build the moles of the city Troy. After his death Zeus rewarded him the position of judge. You could go to three different places in the Underworld, depending on your life on Earth and what you had done. Most shades went to the Asphodel Fields, but before any entered, drinking from the Lethe River was a must, causing one to forget everything that had happened in a yesteryear life. Asphodel was an ugly , gray, ghostly weed that covered the Fields.This place was for the normal, everyday person, who did nothing special in his or her life. The second place they could go was the E lysian Fields or Elysium. Elysium was reserved for the heroes, or state the gods favored. tied(p) feasts, banquets, and hunts were held there. The third and final place you could go to was the lowest region of the world, called Tartarus. It was surrounded by a wall of bronze and beyond that three-fold layer of night. Tartarus, presided over by Kronos, was where the souls went who had defied the gods in some way.The Hundred-headed Giants guarded it. Around Tartarus is Phlegethon, with its flames and opposition rocks. One of the Furies, Tisiphone, sits upon the iron tower, with her bloody robe, and sleepless day and night, guards the entrance. Few people dwell in the Underworld, because of its somberness and darkness. Hades, the King of the Dead, rules over the entire Underworld. The god was a dread figure to the living, who were quite careful how they swore oaths to his name. To many people, to utter his name was frightening, so they used another word in its place.Since all preci ous minerals came from under the earth, the people thought of Hades as very wealthy. He was was sometimes referred to as Ploutos, meaning wealth. This accounts for the name given him by the Romans, who called him Pluto. Hades sits on a throne of ebony and carries a scepter. He also has a helmet that makes him invisible, given to him by the Cyclopes( I would love to barrow that sometime). Persephone, Hadess wife, also lives with him in his palace. Along with Charon, the ferryman, the Furies live down there also. The furies are the three daughters of Mother Earth, conceived from the blood of Uranus.They were powerful goddesses that personified conscience and punish people for their crimes. They were Megaera (jealousy), Tisiphone (blood avenger), and Alecto (unceasing in pursuit). They were usually depicted as winged women with serpent hair. When called upon they would hound their victims till they died in a rage of madness or suicide. Orpheus, a poet and musician that had almost supe rnatural abilities to attain anyone to his music, descended to the Underworld as a living mortal to retrieve his dead wife after she was bitten by a poisonous rattlesnake on their wedding day Eurydice.With his lyre playing skills, he was able to throw off a spell on the guardians of the underworld and move them with his music. 54 With his beautiful voice he was able to commute Hades and Persephone to allow he and his wife to return to the living. The rulers of the Underworld agreed, but under one circumstance Eurydice would have to follow behind Orpheus and he could not turn around to look at her. at one time Orpheus reached the entrance, however, he turned around, longing to look at his beautiful wife, only to watch as his wife faded back into the Underworld.He was forbidden to return to the Underworld a second time and he spent his life playing his music to the birds and the mountains. Greek civilization is alive it moves in every hint of mind that we breathe so much of it remains that none of us in one lifetime could absorb it all. Ancient Greeks are known to be one of the greatest and most advanced people and have left behind a legacy that helped define the Western civilization. Cultural diffusion helped bedspread Greek culture all over the world, and its effects can still be felt forthwith in almost every aspect.Greek culture has greatly affected different parts of my insouciant life including architecture, food, government, inventions, music, religion, and education. Modern day architecture in America is greatly influenced by ancient Greek architectural styles, which include columns and decorative elements such as sculptures. The Parthenon is an excellent example of the surviving Greek architecture, and it has excite buildings such as The Capitol Building, Lincoln Memorial, and White House, all of which are located in Washington DC. several(prenominal) of the food one wouldconsume daily has origins from the Greek cuisine. The Underworld is w hat the Greeks and Romans believed you went after you died. It was where everything horrible, evil, and sad lived. If you werent a hero or a favorite of the gods you were sent to that horrible place. What a dreadful thing to look foregoing to after your life was completed on Earth. I hope you enjoyed learning about the Underworld and the beliefs of the Greek and Roman peoples afterlife.